Shows

Thursday 28/09/2017 14:45
Dingwalls Canal Side

IDER are Megan Markwick and Lily Somerville, two friends based in North London whose blend of soaring pop and delicate electronics took 2016 by storm. Emerging first with their smoky R&B tinted debut ‘Sorry’, IDER quickly enticed fans such as stellar songwriter and producer Shura and Radio 1’s Phil Taggart and Huw Stephens. The duo followed up ‘Sorry’ with a vulnerable, perfectly poised second cut called ‘Pulse’, drawing comparisons to London Grammar and FKA twigs.

The summer months came and went with IDER performing a handful of acclaimed support slots with Tegan and Sara amongst others whilst writing and recording new material. IDER capped a thrilling first year as a fully functioning band with the Eastern influenced ‘King Ruby’ and the emotionally charged ‘Million’. Support rained in from Wonderland, DIY and The Line of Best Fit - and the pair bagged a “Track of the Week” from Huw Stephens in the process.

Now, with almost two million streams on the board, IDER are on the verge of breaking exciting new ground with the announcement of their debut EP on Aesop - a label renowned for launching a handful of the most forward-facing and celebrated electronic and pop artists of this decade, including SOHN and TALA.

The record Gut Me Like An Animal features four entirely new compositions; including today's polished-pop release 'Face On', future live favourite 'Nevermind', the soaring 'Does She Even Know' and the EP's beautifully fragile a'cappella title track. The record will be released digitally on 31 March.

Having stunned audiences to silence throughout the course of last year with their inseparable harmonies and exceptional multi-instrumentalism, IDER will play their debut headline show at Bermondsey Social Club on 6 April. Tickets sold out within four days of going on-sale.

Magic Giant

Inside a Redwood tree off the coast of California; within a tunnel by Snoqualmie Pass; on an airstrip in Marble, Colorado; in a wild daisy field near Crested Butte—these are just a few of the places Los Angeles trio, Magic Giant, recorded its debut album, aptly titled, In the Wind (Washington Square/Razor & Tie). Austin Bisnow (lead vocals), Zambricki Li (banjo, violin, harmonica), and Zang (acoustic guitar, cello) welcomed nature into the fold as their unofficial fourth member. “It was fate,” recalls Zambricki.

Shows

Thursday 28/09/2017 14:20
Dingwalls Main Room

“We were scheduled to play all these festivals—Electric Forest, Wanderlust, Lightning in a Bottle—that just so happened to be in really beautiful parts of the country.” During Spring 2016, the boys bought a shuttle bus, converted it into a solar-powered mobile recording studio, added a California King on hydraulics, and fondly named her Queen Elizabeth. “There were spaces of time between shows where we could get creative,” explains Zang. “Using the bus to power microphones, we recorded outside—literally In The Wind—across North America.”

“Living in the city, it’s easy to forget how enchanting the road can be,” Zang adds. “We recorded anywhere and everywhere. There were no ceilings or limits to what we could capture.”

Just before Magic Giant hit the road, their single “Set on Fire” began heating up. Independently released, it went from their studio to #4 on Spotify’s US Viral 50, eventually amassing nearly 4 million streams in less than a year. It became a favorite on Los Angeles radio, hitting #1 on KROQ’s Locals Only. It was after this success that the three-piece landed a deal with Washington Square. Billboard claimed, “With a joyful live show the band is inspiring mass dance-alongs,” while NPR wrote, “Magic Giant captures the energy and spirit of the past few waves of upbeat, passionate indie-folk.”

Magic Giant represents the union of three distinct, dynamic, and diverse artistic voices. Since his childhood in Washington, D.C., Austin obsessively pursued his love of songwriting. He studied classical composition and then went on to write songs with artists ranging from John Legend to David Guetta. New Jersey native Zambricki got hit by a car in junior high, fell into a coma, and once he woke, miraculously learned violin in 4 days through a rare brain trauma reorganization now known as Acquired Savant Syndrome: “If I could go back, I’d throw myself in front of the car,” Zambricki chuckles. Later on he began writing and one of his first songs was featured in the Sundance-awarded film Paper Heart. Born and raised in Los Angeles to Persian immigrants, Zang learned upright bass in grade school before picking up guitar and studying dance. He caught the attention of Austin and Zambricki when they came across online videos of him salsa dancing and were instantly hooked.

The three are an unlikely match, but their magnetic chemistry can get any crowd moving, from a sold out show at the legendary Troubadour to a sunset music or yoga festival audience. The group has recently toured with bands such as Beats Antique, The Revivalists, and Mike Posner.

“We use whatever instruments are best for the song,” says Austin. “Lyrically, when we get together to write,” adds Zang, “it’s different from what we would have imagined individually. That’s the beauty of co-writing—we become one unique voice we may never have found on our own."

The road eventually took the band to Atlanta, where they met up with producer Ben Allen to help glue the body of work together. Returning home to their converted 1940’s bomb-shelter studio, The Bunker, Magic Giant put the finishing touches on their debut record. Austin leaves us with, “When people hear our music or experience a show, we want to bring out the most uninhibited version of themselves.”

Grumble Bee

Jack Bennett's story starts like may others, finding himself in a band that had plateaued, the members decided to go their separate ways. The creative instincts still ran course through the veins.

Shows

Thursday 28/09/2017 13:55
Dingwalls Canal Side

Having been afforded the opportunity & freedom, without any teachings, to learn multiple instruments, Jack decided his new musical outlet would be one he had total input, control and creativity upon.

Deciding to produce his first recordings with Kris Crummett (The Story So Far, Dance Gavin Dance, I the Mighty, Issues) Jack ventured to the US and laid down all instrumentation and vocals on the Disconnect EP. A feat not matched by many.

Now performing under the moniker Grumble Bee, Jack, along with live members Callum Connell (drums) and Zach Phelps (bass), has begun performing these creations live.

'...Bennett grabs you by the heartstrings like a master puppeteer and refuses to let go throughout' Rock Sound 8/10

Lydmor

The Danish girl with the bruised knees jumping down from stage swinging the chord of the microphone like a whip while she sings as much of sex and drugs as emotions and far away places. At times it can seem like the Danish singer Lydmor is everywhere at once. One moment she is standing on the top of a bar in a venue in Sao Paolo singing her heart out while the beat is pumping over her sweaty dancing audience.

Shows

Thursday 28/09/2017 13:30
Dingwalls Main Room

Next she playfully co-produces a track with j-pop legend Takeshi Kobayashi, or composes a soundtrack for an animated fantasy series. In between her myriad of creative collaborations (including critically acclaimed "Lydmor & Bon Homme")the young producer and singer has managed to tour most of the world several times, playing from the biggest festivals and venues to at times in the homes, in tiny living rooms, of her biggest fans.

The eccentric Scandinavian girl balances always on the tip of a knifes edge between light and dark. Between loving and cold. Order and chaos. If you manage to catch one of her shows, she will flirt, dance, cry, scream and hug her way into your heart with a brutal honesty that comes across both in her pumping rhythmical electro sounds as well as her emotional dreamy side. Multiple media has compared the quirky voice to the likes of Grimes, Kate Bush or Björk but inevitably the comparisons fall short. Lydmor is quite her own and since she returned from a mysterious stay in Shanghai in China she has been working on her coming album to be released in 2018.